Charles V Alexandre François de Valois de Montbéliard
Charles V, Duc de Montbéliard '(Charles Alexandre François; born 8th January 1717) is a Lorrainer prince of the blood, courtier and military officer. He currently holds the distinction of ''Premier Prince du Sang ''in Lorraine as the head of the house of Valois de Montbéliard, the cadet branch of the ruling house of Valois d'Anjou. He succeeded to this position at the age of nine in 1726, upon his father's death from smallpox. He was placed under the joint guardianship of his uncle, Philippe Nicolas, and his mother, Anne Marie Charlotte of Bavaria. Upon reaching his majority at the age of sixteen in 1733, he began to attend the royal court at Lunéville, where by virtue of his rank he received numerous appointments and honours. As a member of the Capetian dynasty descended in the male-line from Saint King Louis IX, his status as a ''Prince du Sang also extends to the French court. François, as he preferred to be called, was known as a carefree and indolent young man. Having been coddled and pampered from a young age, he knew very little about moderation and frugality. As a result, he was known to be reckless with his money, earning a reputation as a spendthrift. Despite this lack of responsibility, he was generally perceived as a generally good-natured individual who had true care for his family and friends. In contrast, however, he was known to be arrogant and perceived himself as vastly superior to much of the nobility, even his elders. This sense of superiority would drive many of his actions throughout his life. He considered himself the epitome of grace and etiquette, having a special disdain for those he considered "rabble." Biography '''Birth (1717) Charles Alexandre François de Valois d'Anjou de Montbéliard was born on January 8th, 1717 at the Château de Lunéville. His father was Charles IV, Duc de Montbéliard and his mother was Anne Marie Charlotte of Bavaria, the daughter of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria. His father was the Premier Prince du Sang ''in the Lorrainer court, the head of the Montbéliard branch of the ruling house. This branch had split off from the main line in 1594, founded by Charles Joseph Léopold of Lorraine, second son of King Nicolas II and Queen Louise Augustine, Duchess of Montbéliard in her own right. Upon her death, her titles were bequeathed to Léopold, who created the branch. Through successive generations, the wealth of the branch had been increasing to the point where they had began to curate their own collection of art, currently held at the Château de Thionville. His birth had come after many years of waiting for his parents. His mother had, prior to his birth, delivered two living daughters as well as two stillborn daughters and a stillborn son. She had also suffered a miscarriage prior to his birth. His father, by this time thirty-six and without a male heir, had deemed the birth of François miraculous for his house. At the time of his birth, his two elder sisters were thirteen-year-old Marie Élisabeth, then Mademoiselle de TBD and six-year-old Philippine Adélaïde, Mademoiselle de TBD. His birth was celebrated by the royal court, due to his position as the new heir to the only cadet branch of the royal line. He took position as the second most important non-royal in the Kingdom, after his father. At birth, he was created TBD, with the style of ''Son Altesse Sérénissime ''as a member of the ruling dynasty who was not directly a member of the royal family. By the time of his birth, it was the early reign of King Philippe II, who had inherited the Lorraine throne in 1712. He was sent to Thionville for his upbringing. '''Early Years and Education (1717 - 1726)' François was coddled and pampered throughout his early years. He had little contact with his parents, who were important courtiers at the royal court - his father was the Chancellor of Lorraine, his mother was the Grand Mistress of the Robe in the Queen's household. He was left in the care of a small army of governesses and tutors, who were ordered to cater to his every whim. Throughout all of his youth, he was left to want for nothing. His father, though a detached parent with little paternal instinct, went to great lengths to ensure that his children lived comfortably. His father even went as far to assemble a few children of the lower nobility to be brought into accompany him, mimicking the system of Enfants d'Honneur ''which most royal children received. He was described during this time as playful and boisterous, with a taste for exploring the grounds. He was also described as selfish, numerous incidents occurring over disputes he had with playmates over the use of toys and other objects. Infamously, he once pushed a playmate off of a rocking horse because it had been used without his permission. These selfish tendencies continued to grow throughout his youth, not being curtailed due to his father prohibiting any sort of physical punishment. His formal education began at the age of seven. His father wished to ensure he had a comprehensive education. As a result, he was taught subjects such as: writing; histories; Latin; mathematics; statesmanship; diplomacy; economics and etiquette. François was a notoriously lazy pupil - he had little to no care for any of his studies, save histories which he took a particular interest in. Most of the time, he would simply skip the majority of his sessions with his tutors, which he could not be punished for due to his father's lenient stance toward raising a child. If anything, he was positively reinforced for his negative behaviour. His behaviour exasperated his tutors. Even when he was made to attend a lesson, he would oftentimes simply rise from his seat and pace about the room, paying no attention to the tutor. Other times, he would simply go to sleep during a lecture. Eventually, a whipping boy was employed to attempt to curtail his behaviour. They had taken the boy from the stables, but using him proved ineffective as it turns out this was the same boy he had an altercation with some time before and he cared very little about pain being inflicted upon him. Most of his tutors would eventually give up, though he did manage to develop some basic knowledge of a few of the subjects he was taught. '''Ascension as Duc de Montbéliard (1726)' In late August of 1726, the Duc de Montbéliard began to feel unwell at court. Eventually, his face began to be marked with something that could only point to one condition - smallpox. The Duc had to be isolated for fear of the condition spreading. Most in the house were dismayed - with the Duc's death on the horizon, this meant that the nine-year-old François was to inherit the Duchy. WIP Issue With his wife, Louise Diane d'Orléans, he currently has one child: * Charlotte Alexandrine, ''Mademoiselle de TBD'' '''(8th November 1738 - Present) Ancestry Titles, Styles and Honours '''Titles and Styles * 8th January 1717 - 10th September 1726: ''Son Altesse Sérénissime, Monseigneur le TBD'' * 10th September 1726 - Present: ''Son Altesse Sérénissime, Monseigneur le Duc de'' Montbéliard Honours * Seigneur Grand Croix de l'Ordre de la Toison d'Or * Seigneur Grand Croix de l'Ordre de l'Aigle Blanc * Seigneur Grand Croix de l'Ordre de la Saint Relèvement Category:House of Valois d'Anjou Category:Princes du Sang Category:House of Valois d'Anjou de Montbéliard Category:18th Century Births Category:Births at Lunéville